Life Never Dies
by CheshireGirl0913
Summary: Emily's dad is gone, but he has left some old friends behind to keep her company. Now Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends must teach her how innocence and joy can be found in many places. Even in ones she didn't expect.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, yeah, I know it's not the final chapter of Fortune's Fool, but that's almost finished, I swear. Just needs the right touches and it'll be good to go.**

**Anyway, this is something that has been gathering dust for a while. I took it, gave it a quick polish and rebuild and voila! Another story!**

**Yes, I am purposly trying to write in the style of A.A, Milne. I find that Winnie-the-Pooh's stories in this way works well, but you be the judge. Right now, I'm off to catch some zz's.**

**Enjoy the first (and admittedly short) chapter of Life Never Dies.**

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Chapter One: In Which Emily Gets An Early Birthday Present

A funeral for her dad was not Emily Milne's idea of a way to start her summer.

He had been sick for a while. From what, she wasn't sure. Her dad didn't really want her to be so worried. He thought that she would understand. She did… just not in the way he wanted.

Emily sat back on her quilted comforter on her bed, sighing. _My thirteenth birthday is soon and Dad won't be here to see it._ It was true. He'd miss the laughing and playing of games. The joy on her face as she opened presents. Her look of wishing as she blew out her candles. The-.

"Emily?" She sat up to see her Mom.

"Yeah?"

"I have something for you." Her mom walked in with a huge box. "I don't know if it's the right time, but your Dad wanted you to have these. As a birthday present." She placed the box on her bed. "I think they'll be great company for you." She walked out, not saying much more.

At first, Emily didn't want to open the box. She was afraid whatever it was would make her think of him and make her cry. No. She wouldn't cry. She had cried enough tears last week during the funeral. But she'd take a look.

Emily slowly opened the box. Inside was a set of stuffed animals.

_Stuffed animals? But I'm almost thirteen! Aren't I a little old for stuffed animals?_

She pulled them all out, one-by-one. There was a yellow rabbit with perfectly combed fur. A tiger with a springy tail. A donkey with a pink-bowed tail. A pig, which was the smallest of the bunch. And a soft golden bear in a red cotton shirt.

The bear's eyes twinkled at Emily. It was as if it was actually seeing her.

She gently placed the bear down and walked to her easel. On it was a black-and-white painting of a wilting rose. She felt it matched her feelings for loss. To her, it wasn't just the loss of a parent. It was the loss of color in her life. _Dad…._

"Why, hello, Christopher Robin!" Emily froze and turned. The golden bear was standing up on its hind legs...and was talking to her. "Christopher Robin?"

**THUMP!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I expected this chapter to take longer to write. Glad I was wrong! :D**

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Chapter Two: In Which Emily Meets Winnie-the-Pooh and others

"I-Is she a-a-alright?"

"I don't know, Piglet."

"This is worse than the time Christopher Robin ate those carrotses. Those looked disgusterizing!"

"Tigger, carrots are not 'disgusterizing'. They are very good for you."

"Well…. They're not as bad as honey."

"Mmm… Honey…."

"Pooh, how could you think of honey at a time like this?!"

"Ssh! She's comin' to!" Emily's vision was very blurry when she finally awoke. Her eyes met the faces of a rabbit, a bear, a pig and a….

Emily screamed and jumped up, "TALKING TIGER!" She ran to the other end of her bedroom, her heart pounding in her chest.

The tiger growled, "I'm Tigger! T-I-Double GUH-ER! And that's me! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hooooo!" Emily's mouth gapped open in shock. _This. Is. Not. Happening_!

She started backing away, "Stay away from me! Or…or I'll call Animal Control!" She squealed as she fell on top of something soft, but strong enough to hold her weight. It was the donkey.

"Don't mind me," it said in a gloomy voice. "I always seem to get in the way of things." She seated herself against the wall.

"Christopher Robin, it's me," the bear said. "Winnie-the-Pooh."

Emily just stared, "Chri-Christopher Robin? That's not my name."

"Well, you sure do look a lot like him, so I thought you'd be him….Only smaller."

The yellow rabbit stepped forward, "Do you know where we can find him?"

"He's…." Emily didn't know what to say. "He's not here right now."

The pig spoke up, "D-Do you know when he will be b-b-b-back?" Emily shook her head. She could feel her eyes watering.

"Oh please don't cry," the bear said. He pointed at each animal one-by-one. "That's Rabbit, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore-."

"Thanks for noticing me," Eeyore responded.

"And I'm Winnie-the-Pooh, Pooh for short."

"I'm…." The human girl responded. "I'm Emily."

Tigger bounced to her, grabbing her hand, "Pleased to meetcha, Emily!" He started shaking her hand wildly. By the time he stopped, she swore that it was throbbing.

"Emily!" Her mother was calling her from downstairs. "Dinner!" The girl stood up and walked towards the door, noticing the animals following her.

She turned to them abruptly, "Stay here. I'll be back." As she closed the door and went down the stairs, she sighed deeply. _Maybe I should consider therapy._

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**Well now Emily's met the gang... so how will she adapt? Will they get used to her? Will they learn the truth of Christopher Robin's disappearance? ...And why the heck does Eeyore always seperate himself from the group?**

**Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter has arrived! The updates will probably be slow because I'm trying to focus mainly on my schoolwork, but hopefully that will soon be put under control. There are so many ideas I want to put into this story, but it'll take a HUGE amount of time as wel as memory on my computer :P**

**Enjoy! :)**

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Chapter Three: In Which A Certain Bear and His Friends Raid the Kitchen

To Emily, dinner was quieter now that her dad was gone. When he was alive, he was usually the conversation starter. He would talk about all of the funny things that happened at work that day or something silly he and his friends did back in high school. But now with him gone, the cheerful talks died along with him. Her mom tried to continue that tradition, but Emily seemed to find herself ignoring her. _It's just not Dad…._

Emily was merely eating the last of her potatoes when a dark figure caught her eye. _Eeyore? And…Rabbit?_ The others followed and Emily almost went into a panic as she saw Rabbit crawl on top of Eeyore's back and Tigger hopped onto Rabbit's shoulders. _What are they doing?!_

"- So I'm going back to work tomorrow."

Emily glanced at her mom, "Huh?"

"I know how hard it is. Believe me, if I could, I'd stay here all day. But I can't." Emily watched as the donkey, rabbit and tiger wobbled back and forth until they finally found their balance. Emily was cringing, but her mom didn't notice. "So I'll be going back to the office tomorrow."

"Um… okay." Piglet crawled on top of Pooh, who was on top of Tigger. Piglet nearly stumbled as he reached for their prize in the cabinet.

"Remember the rules now: no wild parties, no leaving the house…." Her mom went on as Emily saw the group all topple backwards. Emily tried motioning them to get out, but with such little effort that neither them nor her mom noticed. "And, if possible, no mess." Emily heard a small thump as the animals left the kitchen. Her mother turned, "What are you staring at?"

Emily stood up, "Nothing. Thought I saw a fly or something." She walked over to the sink and placed her dishes inside. "What time will you be leaving?"

"Probably before you wake up." Emily turned towards the hallway when her mother spoke again, "Are you sure you're okay being here alone?"

"I'll be fine, Mom. I promise, no craziness."

"Alright. But if anything goes wrong, I'm just a phone call away."

"Okay." She began running up the stairs.

"Love you," she heard her mother call.

"Love you, too." Emily dashed into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, glaring at the group of stuffed creatures. They all stood frozen, staring at her with wide eyes.

Rabbit spoke up first, "E-Emily-." Emily didn't want to hear excuses. She snatched their stolen good from Piglet's hands. Her eyebrows raised, she stared at the item.

"Honey? You went through all that for a bottle of honey?"

Piglet tried to explain, "Pooh was hungry and that's all he'll really eat."

"But you're stuffed-."

"Just because we are merely, as Pooh would say, 'stuff-and-fluff,'" Rabbit interrupted, "Doesn't mean none of us have an appetite." Emily stared at each of them. She should've been angry, angry that they tried to steal food from herself and her mother. _Then again_, she thought to herself_, they _do_ look starved._

Emily sighed and handed the bear the bottle, "Alright, fine. You can have it. Just don't make a mess." The bear indulged in it. It had been a long while since he had honey. It wasn't fresh bee's honey, but it was still honey to him, nonetheless.

As Emily began to lie down onto her bed, she felt something hard hit the back of her head. She lifted her pillow and saw that the bear and his friends had taken a package of cookies, her mom's carrots, a bag of sunflower seeds and a few other things from the kitchen.

"Saving room for later?" Emily asked sarcastically.

"Oh, p-p-please don't be mad at us, Emily," Piglet begged.

"I'm not. Just find another place to put all this stuff." She placed the food items in Tigger's arms. "Preferably _not_ under my covers."

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**I hate having food in my bed, don't you?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: In Which Emily and Pooh Have a Late-Night Conversation

Emily sat up form her bed and looked at the clock. _2:18…._ Her body fell back on the bed with a thump. She had been awake since midnight, having been awakened by that terrible feeling that all kids hated waking up to: the feeling of free-falling that jolts you out of sleep. She knew that she would not be able to fall back asleep for a while. So instead of sitting back on her bed for another hour, she slipped out of her bed and walked to her easel on the other end of the room, towards her window.

It was a small little thing, made with pieces of oak. It had been her dad's gift to her when she had turned eight. She loved to paint and he knew it well. Emily was thrilled when she first got it. In fact, she even rushed it to her bedroom and began painting pieces of paper she had clipped to it (she was so excited that she never had the chance to unwrap the package of canvases he also had bought her).

She turned on the small lamp that shined on her canvas. It helped during times like these when her mom thought she had been asleep, when really she was creating art. She let her brush be her guide, an image already set in her mind. Before her eyes emerged a dark-haired girl inside a padded cell with a small, barred window being her only source of light. How Emily wished to be that girl, to be in a safe place where no one and nothing could hurt her.

She was so lost in her work that she didn't notice-.

"Emily?" She jumped, turning to Pooh standing beside her. She had forgotten that _they_ were still here. _How long had he been standing there_, she wondered.

Pooh had been standing there for a little while, having noticed her absence only twenty minutes ago. She was good, in fact, her paintings her better than any other he had seen.

"Why are you up so early, painting?"

"Well… I like it." She continued to paint as she spoke, "It makes me… less sad."

"Oh," Pooh replied. "Then why does she look sad?" He pointed to the girl in the portrait.

"She…She's been captured."

"Then we should rescue her!" The bear exclaimed in a determined tone.

Emily shook her head, "She doesn't want to be rescued."

Pooh looked at her, confused, "Why?"

"She finds it more comfortable in there. She doesn't want to leave."

"But isn't she lonely?"

"Sometimes," she uttered softly.

"Maybe we should go visit her someday," he said with a smile.

"Maybe." She turned off the light. "Let's go to bed, Pooh."

With that, they both crawled into Emily's bed and slept soundly throughout the rest of the night.

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**Hey guys! The updates may come a bit slower for a while. My computer and Microsoft Word decided not to cooperate so the only access I have to a decent word processor is on the school computers. But don't worry there's more on the way! :D**

**-CG**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've updated, but here's a new chapter for you guys!**

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Chapter Five: In Which Emily and her new friends have a rude awakening

_THUMP!_ Emily gasped as her eyes shot wide open to an energetic Tigger.

"Mornin' Emmy!"

_Oh right_, she thought, _they were still here_. She read her clock: _8:32. So Mom is already at work. She won't be back until 4:30_. She groaned as she slowly crawled out of bed and rubbed her eyes. She then realized a problem.

"Uh… Tigger? Where are the others?"

"Oh, uh… They're downstairzes." As if on cue, they both heard a _CRASH_ from the kitchen. Emily ran after the sound, with Tigger bouncing behind her. When she arrived, she could not believe the mess she had found.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!" The animals all turned to the angry girl, each and every one covered in flour. Rabbit had a clipboard and pen in his hands. Piglet and Pooh were trying to get the electronic whisk to work with the gold-tinted batter. Eeyore stood below them, since neither Pooh nor Piglet were tall enough to reach the counter. As for the kitchen itself… the word "mess" couldn't even begin to describe what Emily found.

Rabbit was the first to speak, "Well, we felt bad for yesterday's little…*ahem*…incident with the pantry."

"So we wanted to make you breakfast," Pooh continued, "Honey cakes! Mmmmm…." Pooh's hand reached for the batter… only to be slapped by Rabbit.

"POOH!" Suddenly, Pooh tumbled and activated the electronic whisk on high. Piglet, who was trying to adjust it, was thrown into the batter by the whisk's force. Eeyore began to lose his balance as he and Pooh moved back and forth. Batter splattered everywhere as Rabbit and Tigger ran to help their friends. They couldn't stop it! They all screamed!

That is, until Emily pulled the plug. This abrupt stop caused Piglet to fly into an open cabinet that quickly shut behind him. Tigger approached the cabinet and opened it. Piglet fell to the floor with a thump as the others looked at Emily in fear.

"Y-You're mad, aren't you?" Piglet said. She was. Emily couldn't deny that. But the fear in their faces made her hold it back. They looked hurt, and she knew it was because of her.

She took a deep breath, "Let's just clean up this mess." And they did. It didn't take long for them to clean the floor and the countertop as well as the dishes. Thankfully, there was some batter to spare. Emily took over and cooked the honey pancakes for the animals. There had to be dozens upon dozens of them!

As they all sat down to indulge in honey pancakes, Emily just cleaned up the remaining dishes and put them away. Rabbit was the first to notice this.

"Emily, don't you want something to eat?" He asked.

She shook her head, "No thanks. I'm gonna go change." As she thumped up the stairs, the animals all looked at each other with concern. No one should miss breakfast. Something had to be wrong.

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**Short, I know, but now the 100 Acre Gang are starting to notice Emily's behavior. What will they do about it? You'll just have to wait and see!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Meh... You can call this a short filler chapter if you want. I call it progress XD**

**Commence!**

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Chapter Six: In Which Emily Has A Conversation with Rabbit

Once Emily had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt (saying "I Believe in August Booth" (1)), she sat in her seat by the window and stared out at the forest in the distance. Her Dad used to bring her there when she was a kid to play. He even told stories about his adventures in the woods with a neighbor named Darby.

Her mind drifted away to a memory.

_They stood in the middle of a bridge together. It was once painted white, but had since faded to a mix of brown and gray due to the harsh weather. Each had a stick in hand: one that was thin with some leaves, the other was smooth with all of its bark stripped off._

"_You ready, kiddo?"_

_The little girl beamed, "Yes, Daddy!"_

"_Alright. On your mark… get set… GO!" Both threw a stick down to the river below. "Hurry kiddo!" They dashed to the other side. The stick with leaves peeked out from the other side first._

"_I win!" The young child squealed excitedly, "I win!"_

"_Congratulations, Emmy!" He lifted her up onto his shoulders. "How about we go home and have some ice cream to celebrate?"_

"Emily?" She snapped back to reality to find Rabbit staring at her. _Why do these people like to sneak up on me?_ "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…. Just thinking."

"What about?" He sat down next to her.

"My Dad used to take me to the forest over there. We would play games and go on little adventures."

"Well, maybe he'll take you again sometime," Rabbit responded passively. But then he saw the look on her face. One he had seen very few times in his life. "Emily, where is your father?"

Emily sniffed, "He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"He's not here anymore. He won't ever come back. Ever!" She was crying now, tears coming down like a waterfall. Rabbit stood there, unsure of what to do.

You see, Rabbit knew quite a number of things. He could tell you how to care for a garden. He could tell you how to set a trap. He even knew a thing or two about childcare. But when Rabbit heard Emily say that her father was gone, he had no clue of what she actually meant by "gone".

He patted her knee, "There, there. Don't cry. I'm sure he loves you very much. Now, c'mon, dry those tears." She did, taking a few deep breaths. "There ya go. Now cheer up and let's go join the others, okay?" Emily put on a smile, making Rabbit feel like he did the right thing as he hopped out of Emily's room.

But in all honesty, Emily felt even sadder than she was before.

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**(1) Shameless plug! I heart Once Upon a Time! XD**

**Btw, anyone who guesses the game Emily and her dad are playing in the flashback gets a cupcake! ...Alright, an imaginary cupcake, but those are better. That way you don't get a flavor you don't like :P**


	7. Chapter 7

**Two chapters in one day? Wow! Even I'm surprised!**

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Chapter Seven: In Which Tigger Thinks He's Captured a Jagular

When Rabbit and Emily arrived in the living room, they saw Pooh and Piglet staring at Tigger, who was sitting on a something that was tied up in a blanket.

"What's going on here?" Rabbit asked, clearly annoyed.

"There was a jagular, Rabbit," Pooh responded. "So Tigger captured it."

Emily gave them a look, "Are you sure it was a… whatever you called it?"

"Yes!" Piglet exclaimed. "It tried to eat me!" Piglet jumped behind Pooh as a whimper was heard from under the blanket.

Emily was not entirely convinced, "Let me take a look." Tigger hopped off as the being under the blanket stopped moving. Emily grabbed the cotton fabric and lifted it up. The animals gasped as the creature was revealed.

It was a husky puppy with blue eyes.

"Taro!" The little dog barked with joy as Emily picked him up. Taro began to thank her by licking her face.

Piglet screamed, "The jagular's eating Emily!" Tigger ran to the pantry and grabbed a broom. He returned to his friends and attempted to hit the beast attacking Emily.

Instead, he hit Emily in the back of the head. He hit her so hard that she dropped Taro and fell to the floor. Taro, slightly oblivious to the occurring event, leapt out of his owner's arms and ran into the hallway.

"The jagular's getting away!" The gang all began to ran towards the puppy, only to be stopped by Emily's voice.

"That's my dog, you idiot!" They all stared at her blankly.

Pooh was the most confused, "Um… dog?"

Rabbit elbowed him, "Of course a dog, Pooh! He acts just like Skippy!"

"You mean the thing that gave Piglet a joy ride?"

"Yes, Tigger. _That_." Emily got back on her feet and glared at Tigger.

"You _jumped_ my dog?"

"Well, h-hey… Tiggers can make mistakes, right?" Emily growled loudly as she began to chase the striped animal around the living room. "Hellllllllllllllllllllp!"

"You so much lay a hand on my dog again, I'm gonna beat you senseless!" They went on like this for a while until Rabbit noticed something.

"Wait a minute! Where's Eeyore?" As if on cue, a loud grunt was heard in the hallway. Everyone ran to see a tailless Eeyore. Before anyone could ask, Taro appeared from behind the corner, Eeyore's tail in his mouth. He tumbled back and forth, biting into the pink bow.

Tigger grinned, "Well whaddaya know…. Doggies like Eeyore tails."

"If you don't mind my saying so," Eeyore asked. "I would very much like my tail back." Emily walked over to Taro and pulled the tail from his mouth. She reattached the tail to Eeyore's rump, causing him to squeal for a moment. Emily then picked up her puppy and began to walk back to the living room.

The little dog whined.

"Don't worry, Taro. I won't let them hurt you ever again." The group of animals looked at each other in embarrassment, Tigger the most. Emily cared for this puppy a lot and he had just held him captive. He bounced over to the two, the others following close behind.

"Emily, I'm sorry for hurting the little guy."

"It's not me that you have to apologize to," Emily snapped.

TIgger turned to Taro, who stared at him blankly, "I'm sorry, Taro. Could you ever forgive a terra-bib-bull Tigger?" Taro responded by licking Tigger's face with a yip. Tigger laughed as Taro pinned him to the floor, "Stop it, little guy! I'm ticklish! Hoo-hoo!" Rabbit and the others looked on with smiles.

Emily grinned slightly, "I think he likes you."

"You know," Rabbit said. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." The others laughed as they watched Taro continue to slobber Tigger. It was the start of a friendship. Not just for Taro and Tigger, but for everyone else as well.

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**So what shall happen now? They've met Taro, but they don't know what happened to Christopher Robin. Will they ever find out? Stay tuned!**


End file.
